Interesting set of observations exploring the limits of omniscience and the sheer scale involved in watching an entire population. Failures in empathy lead to misinterpretation of anonymous rebellion in plain sight. Tolkien’s most potent and intimidating image of centralized surveillance, the Eye of Sauron atop a tower, taking in the whole world, has resonated with…
This project looks promising. I’ve donated the money I was going to spend on a haircut. We’re keeping our UI super simple. The experience is entirely sound and story: Writing + Voiceover + SFX + Music. With either a spoken word or a simple tap on the screen you can listen to the drama unfold…
A recent Pew study (Smartphone Ownership 2013) found that blacks were about 10% more likely than whites to own smartphones, and that young urban people regardless of income are very likely to own smartphones. (With older people, a smartphone is more of a luxury.) It’s little wonder, then, that phone-friendly Twitter has been such a…
These are shoe-holding racks at a local indoor play area, where I took my daughter and a friend for a few hours. Why buy six different rainbow-colored shoe-holding racks, if you’re not going to arrange them in the proper order? I really wanted to pick up the purple one and at least put it in…
Sample, improved lyrics: “An old man turned 98 /He won the lottery, and died the next day (from a severe paper cut from his lottery ticket).” Similar:The president of the US bonds with Vladimir Putin over journalists: "Get rid of them." The president of the US bonds with Vladi…CultureErmahgerddon: The Untold Story of the Ermahgerd GirlDeciding…
Rewatching the classic Trek episode “The Conscience of the King,” which features a Shakespearean acting troupe. In one scene, McCoy writes a report on a wedge proto-iPad… …but in the very next scene Kirk scrawls on a piece of paper. This episode also features characters doing computer searches, using an exposition-friendly voice interface to call…
At least three journalists left NBC, after the network aired a tape of George Zimmerman, edited in a manner that substantially altered its content. Filed in Seminole County, the suit adds that “NBC News saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about…
Jon Negroni creates a meta-narrative to connect every Pixar movie, using Boo as the still point in the turning universe. Every Pixar movie is connected. I explain how, and possibly why. Several months ago, I watched a fun-filled video on Cracked.com that introduced the idea (at least to me) that all of the Pixar movies…
The contrast between KTVU’s treatment of its triumphs vs errors reminds us of the difference between journalism vs public relations. Similar:RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsHello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In…
Last week, the Fox-afiliated KTVU fell for a prank, repeating offensive fake names for the pilots involved in the crash of Asiana Flight 214 last week. [S]even-year veteran KTVU producer Brad Belstock closed his @producerBB Twitter account after his last Friday tweet just moments after the names were read aloud on the air by Tori Campbell.…
Francesca Borri writes of being a freelancer and a woman covering the war in Syria. (When my life gets hectic, a story like this helps me keep some perspective.) Similar:Fact Check: No, an NPR story on the Trump supporters' attempted coup dated January 6, 2021…A conspiracy theory featuring a news sto…CultureMan Infected with Ebola Misinformation…
Is your Sunday feeling incomplete because you haven’t read anything about punctuation today? This explanation of the semicolon should help. You’re welcome. Similar:The Alot is Better Than You at EverythingThere is no Englilsh word “alot.” That i…AmusingThat's not an argument. (Yes it is.)I spent some time this afternoon sifting…AcademiaSeton Hill Student Journalists Launch Local Election…
My wife is something of a hoarder. Now, as it happens, I have saved my half of the slip of paper that I tore so that we could write down each other’s phone numbers back when we were about 22, but she saves old catalogs and phone books (phone books!) from years ago. Sometimes, when…
So I’m not being selfish… this is a parenting strategy. Similar:Brought my in-progress #blender3d project into the #unity3d gaming engine. Plenty of frust… AestheticsBackstage opening night.PersonalNarnia Lesson Plans: Activities Related to the Musical (based on The Lion, the Witch and t…I just posted the latest musical theater…BooksCrabby 10yo Ties Self to Pole to Protest InjusticeMy…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:The Psychology of Getting More Done In Less TimeSummary of not-so-new scholarship, but p…CultureMy 4Cs StoryI chaired a session on Friday, and gave …AcademiaSo, What's in It for Me?All in all, I enjoy my job very much, an…AcademiaWhat Does the Demise of Cursive Mean?Are you…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Girlhood 2014They don’t even seem to want to watch Fr…CultureI Canna Give Ye Any More Screens, Cap'n! The iPad Mini and the ChromeBook are…HomeSchadendrücke: Click-shameHomeIncoming Seton Hill Students Pick Up Their MacBooks and iPads TodayI find it impossible not to be cheerful …AcademiaTolkien v. Orwell: Who…
Similar:The Way of the Warrior #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 1) Worf joins the station…Rewatching ST:DS9 We cold open into a…MediaLet's conſider ſome ſurpriſing old type: "Did you ever hear ſuch a wind-ſucker, as this?"I ſhall always treaſure the pleaſant ſur…AmusingPieces of Earliest Games RecoveredThese small sculpted stones unearthed fr…CultureI'm amused by the quirky…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:BP Lawyers Cheat by Adjusting Line Spacing in a Legal Brief U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier…BusinessAfter your shift at the protocol station, join me in the officers' lounge, just up the…
Blogging this so I can find it when I teach my “News Writing” class this fall. People do like to prank journalists with fake names. In this case, the reporter did what you’re supposed to do — get confirmation — but sheesh. KTVU reports fake racist names of Asiana Airlines 214 pilots from NTSB intern…
I recently bought a new phone. since then, I have answered an incoming call in my car. It felt awesome. Similar:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsShe doesn't have keys or a…